Lubricator



June 28 1927. 1,633,763

C. A. CAMPBELL LUBRIGATOR Filed June 6, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 3141mm Md.

June 28 1927 c. A. CAMPBELL LUBRICATOR Filed June 6, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet2 attozmql Patented June 28, 1927.

UNITED.

CHARLES A. CAMPBELL; or WATERTOWN, YAIRILBRYAKE COMPANY, ac

B IcAroR.

A Application filed June 6,

particularly to lubricators intended foruse on the cylinders of crosscompound airv pumps such as are used to charge the main,

reservoirs of railway air brake systems.

One feature of the invention is a mode of.

connecting a single lubricator so that it will feed oil to both the highand low pressure air cylinders. A further feature of theKin-:

vention is the connection of the lubricator in such manner that adefinitely greater quantity of oil is fed to the high pressure cylinderthan to the low pressurecylinder, the rate of feed to both cylindersbeingun-- der the control of the loW pressure cylinder The lubricatorproper is of the general type described and claimed in the patent to;Bickel and Minnier, No. 1,446,412, February 20, 1923, but includescertain: improvementswhich lead to" a'slightly changed cycle ofoperation and reduce the danger of clogging of the oil port. Thisfeature of theinv ention is generally applicable to lubricatorsforcompressors of the reciprocating type.

tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in wh1ch:-

Fig. 1 is a'fragmen'tary elevation showing 7 tightly closed by adome-shaped cap 21, this the lubricator attached to a "cross compoundair pump. 7 i

Fig. 2 is a plan view of thelubricator and the supporting bracket formedintegrally therewith. w 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical axial section through. the lubricator on the line3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5, showing on anenlarged scale the arrangement of theoil and air ports for atomizing theoil... 3 9 Fig. 5 is a section on the line :5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Fig. .1. the high pressure steam cylinder isindicated at 6 and the low pressure air cylinder at 7. The pistons inthese two cylinders are connected as-usual by a piston rod 8. Similarly,the low pressure steam cylinder-.9 is connected to the piston of thehigh pressure air cylinder 10 by means of piston rod'11. Y

The body of the lubricator is indicated in this view at 12 and issupported by two lugs or arms 13, shown in Fig. 2, which are boltedtothe lower head of the steam cylinders. The shell 12 has a low pressurecylinder con- This invention, relates to lubricators and- The preferredembodiment of the inventhe piston of by *a horizontal;' port '27. withan upwar 1923. Serial'NoL 643,691.

nee-tion. 14 which is connected by a pipe 15 with agworkmg space ,of'the low pressure 2111 cylinder 7 and a highpressureconneccylinder'lQJPipe connections to the working spaces of-aircylinders are familiar in this art.-;(see, fotexarhple, the Bickel eta1. patent abovereferredio) and. need not he further, explainedherein. I

,-Turning'now to Figs.-3, 4.and 5, the internal construction ofv the'lubricator "will be explained. 1 The body-=12 of the lubricatorincludes; a central oil well 'or reservoir 18 and aqsurrounding jacket'space 19. jacket space 19. isin direct communication tion 16 which, isconnected by a pipe 17 with agworkmgspacerof the high pressure airthrough. a-.p,ort-;20 with the high pressure cylinder connection 116.The purpose-of this 'istoiheatjthe oil in the reservoir 18 byheatconveyed from the high pressure cylinder byairfiowing to -the jacket19 on the compression strokein-this cylinder. Thus,-some of the heatdeveloped in the compressor. is usefully applied tomai-ntain the oil ataconstant temperature regardless of atmospheric conditions; 5 r

The tOp ofthe reservoir 18 is provided wiithfa threadedopening, which isnormally construction 1 being-adopted .to insure the presence of an airspace above the oil in the reservoir 18, evenif the reserv0ir-18 befilled to the very} top. While it isnot contemplated that thereservoir-18 willbe filled above the -shoulderr22, the port 23 is formedthrough thethreaded portionpf the dome 21 adjacent the' sealing shoulder"24 so that, ifthe reservoir 18 is over-filled, the excess oil willescape through the port-23, thuspermitting v to place.-

Tho-1 base horizontal port 25 g which fromthe low pressure connection 14and merges into a downwardly-extending port The constructioncessivecuantitiesto the compressor cylinders by the act of screwing thedome cap '21.

bl the shell n is am-.1 with a leads inwardly 26. The port 26 isconnected at a lower level extending port 28. This leads past anupwardly-opening check valve 29 to the port which, as heretoforedescribed, is in direct communication with the high pressure cylinderconnection 16. A screw plug 30 and a downwardly-extending stop pin 31serve to limit the opening movement of the check valve 29 and, whenremoved, to permit the inspection and removal of the valve ball 29. Thescrew plug 30 is staked, as shown, to prevent unauthorized removal.

A threaded recess at the bottom of the reservoir 13 receives ashouldered and threaded plug 32 which has an axial port 33 which isdirectly above the vertical port 26 at its-junction with the horizontalport 25. Fixedly mounted in, and making a tight joint with, the plug 32is a vertical tube 34 whose bore communicates with the port 33.

Near its upper end, the tube is formed with a peripheral groove orchannel 35 and a small air port 36 which leads from the bore of thetubeto this peripheral channel.

A cap member 37, fitting over and tightly closing the upper end of thetube 34, carries a depending tube 38 whose internal bore is slightlygreater than the outside diameter of the tube 34. The tube 38 surroundsthe tube "34 and thus provides a narrow annular port or passage 39 whichleads from a point slightly above the bottom of the oil reservoir 18 tothe annular groove or channel 35.

The cap member 37 is provided with a port 40 larger than and alined withthe port the port 40 ofiering a direct communication from the annularchannel 35 to the air space within the dome cap 21.

In the operation of the device, the check valve 29- prevents the highpressures which exist during the compression stroke in the "highpressure air cylinder from entering the port 28. Consequently, thesepressure surges merely serve to bring heat to the jacket 19.

On the compression stroke in the low pressure cylinder, however, the airunder pressure arriving by the connection 14 passes th'rough'the ports25 and 33 and the bore of the tube 3 1 to the port 36. The airdischarging from the port 36 into the air space within the cap 21 drawsoil up from the reservoir 18 through the annular ports 35 and 39 anddischarges thisoil in the form of a mist or spray through the port 40.Thus, at each compression stroke of the low pres sure cylinder, the airspace beneath the dome 2 11 is fed with a. mixture of air and atomizedO1 The effect of this is to keep the air above the oil in the-reservoirconstantlv saturated with oil vapor. When too much atomized oil is ledto this air, i. e., more than the air can support in the form of afinely distributed mist, the excess oil will condense on the walls ofthe dome 21 and drain back into the reservoir so that, in such case,there is no tendency to feed oil in excessive quantit-i-es to theworking spaces.

At the beginning of each suction stroke, there is a sharp drop ofpressure in the low pressure cylinder, resulting in a sudden back-flowthrough the ports 40 and 36, tube 34- and ports 33 and 25 to theconnection 14. This back-flow ot' the air from the space within the dome21 results in the discharge of a substantial quantity of oil suspendedin the air as a mist. Part of this oil follows the air current to theconnection 1 but a larger partpasses downwardinto the vertical port26because of the momentum of the oil and the sudden change of directionat the ports 33, 25 and 26.

At the end of each working stroke in the high pressure cylinder, i. e.,just before the admission of air from the low pressure cylinder takesplace, there is a sharp drop et pressure which results in a momentaryflow through the ports 26, 27 and 28 past the check valve 29 to the highpressure cylinder connection 16 due to the compression of the air in thelow pressure cylinder. This momentary flow carries the oil received bythe port 26 the high pressure cylinder The arrangement of the port 26 ina. downward direction and in line'with the port 33 serves as eitectivemeans for insuring the feed of more oil, and in fact approximately twiceas much oil, to the high pressure cylinder than to the low pressurecylinder. It is well known that, because of the high tem peraturesexisting in the high pressure cylinder, and tor other reasons, the highpres sure air cylinder should receive'ioil in approximatelytliisproportion relatively to the low pressure cylinderf It will beobvious to those skilled in air brake pump operatiom'and in theoperation of other devices where the pump feeds a reservoir whosepressure is subject to wide fluctuations, that, while the terminalpressures of the low pressure cylinder are subto the number of strokesper minute. Conse quently, this invention offers a peculiarly desirablemeans for regulating the oil how to both cylinders, and a simple andeffective mode of proportioning the teed to the two cylindersrso thatthe high pressurccylindei receives the larger proportion of the oil.-

Ill)

Asstated, the "lubricator is generally applicable-to compressors of thereciprocating type. i l A single cylinder compressor may be fed with oilby connecting a .working space ot the cylinder in' any desirable mannerwith the pipe connection lat and by plugging pipe connection 16, so thatthe pressure surges in port 33 will cause thelubricator to feed oil in.the manner described.

While the lubricator is of the general type described and'claimed in thepatent to Bickel and Minnier above mentioned, it has certain definiteadvantages thereover. The annular port 39 is less likely to becomeclogged than is any small drilled port used to obtain the samecalibration. This feature, consequently, is one of practical importancein the operation of devices of this character, it beingremembered that,in air brake service particularly,- infallible operation is highlyimport-ant. v

The arrangement of the airport 36 also is different. Instead of formingthe oil feeding port and the air port on opposite sides of theupstanding tube, so that atomizing action occurs on back-flow to thework ing space, these ports are so arranged that,

on the compression stroke, the air port delivers an aspirating jet whichdraws up oil and sprays it into the closed air space of the lubricator.The oil atomized on the compression stroke is thereafter withdrawn fromthe lubricator and fed to the compressor on the ensuing suction stroke.

The difference in size between discharge ports 40, and 36, prevents thelift of the lubricating fluid during the discharge of the air from thespace above the oil because air passes through port a much faster thanit can escape through small port 86. This insures a pressure in annulargroove suflicientto prevent any lift of lubricating fluid by way ofannular groove 39.

hat is claimed is 1. The combination of a lubricator of the type inwhich oil is carried from the lubricator by pressure surges generated ina connected compressor working space; a plurality of compressor workingspaces; tubular connections from said lubricator to said working spaces;and check valve means arranged to prevent pressure surges generated inany of said working spaces, except one. from reaching said lubricatorthrough said tubular connections while permitting oil flow in theopposite direction in the intervals between surges.

The combination of a lubricator of the type which is caused to feed oilby fluid pressure surges conveyed to it from the working space of acompressor; two compressor working spaces; a. pressure-conductingconnection between said ,lubricator and one of said working spaces,arranged to transmit pressure surges and to convey oil;apressure-conducting connection'between said lubricator and-irthe otherof said working spacesyand' a'check valve inthe last named connection,arranged toclose against flow from the working space to the lubricatorand to'open to permlt flow from the lubrlcatorto said-working space.

8.- Thecombination of a lubricator of the type inwhich oilis carriedfrom the lubricator "by pressure surges generated in a connectedcompressor working space; a plu- -ralityof compressor working spaces;tubutubular connections while permitting oil flow in they oppositedirection in the intervals between surges, one of saidpressurecon'ducting connections beingjbranched oil from another with asharp change of direction, Iwherehy unequal teed rates of oil th oughsuch two connections are had.

ablhe' combination of a compressor of the reciprocating type having ahigh pressure working space and a low pressure work ing space; alubricator of the type in which fluid pressure surges atomize and conveyoil from the lubricator; pressure-conducting connections between saidlubricator and said two working spaces; and a check valve in one of saidconnections arranged to close against flow from the high pressure work.

ing space to the lubricator. I

. 5. The combination of a compressor of the reciprocating type having ahigh pressure working space and a low pressure working space; alubricator of the type in which fluid pressure surges atomize and conveyoil from the lubricator; a jacket space surrounding said lubricator;pressure-conducting connections between the lubricator and said Workingspaces and between the jacket space and said high pressure workingspace; and a check valve arranged to prevent flow from the high pressureworking space to the lubricat-or.

6. The combination of a compressor of the reciprocating type having ahigh pressure working space and a low pressure Working space; alubricator of the type in which fluid pressure surges atomize and conveyoil from the lubricat-or; a branched pressure-conducting connectionbetween the lubricator and said working spaces, that to the low pressureworking space being formed with a pronounced change of direction at thepoint of branching. whereby oil is fed through the two branches atunequal rates; and a check valve arranged to prevent flow of pressurefluid from the high pressure working space to the lubricator.

7. The combination of a compressor of th reciprocating type having ahigh pressure working space and a low pressure Working space; a.lubricator of the type in which fluid pressure surges atomize andconvey oil from the lubric'ator; a pressure-conducting connectionleading downward from the lubricator and thence to the high pressureWorking space; a second pressure-conducting connection leading in agenerally horizontal direction from a point above the lower'end ot thedownward extending portion of said first named connection to the lowpressure Working space; and a check valve arranged to prevent flow fromthe high pressure Work ing space to the lnbricator.

8. The combination of a closed shell adapted to contain oil and aconfined body of air; a duct leading from a point below the level of oilto a point above the same, within said shell;a sec-0nd duct arranged todischarge, into the confined air Within said shell in aspirative jetrelation with the upper end of said first duct; and means for connectingsaid second duct with the Working space of a reciprocative compressor.

9. The combination of a closed shell adapted to contain oil and aconfined body of air; a tubular member having a discharge port Withinsaid shell above the level oil I therein; a second tubular membersurrounding the first and providing an intervening annular duct leadingfrom a point near the bot-tom of said shell and terminating in a portalined with the port of the first tubular member; and means forconnecting said first tubular member with the Working space spac andserving to spray oil into said con- 7 fined body of air.

In testimony whereof I have signed my ranie to this specification.

cans. A; CAMPBELL.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,633,763. Granted June 28, 1927, to

CHARLES A. CAMPBELL.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 4,line 29 claim 9, after the word "of" insert the word "oil"; and that thesaid Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that thesame may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of August, A. D. 1927.

M. J. Moore, Seal. Acting Commissioner of Patents.

